A Texas father beat and suffocated his 2-year-old daughter to death after she interrupted him while he played computer games, police said.

Anthony Michael Sanders, 31, was charged Friday with capital murder in the December death of Ellie Sanders, who was found unresponsive on her parents’ bed after spending the day with her father and older brother, according to an arrest affidavit filed by Watauga police.

The little girl and her 5-year-old brother were left with Sanders while his wife went to an art show about 10 a.m. December 12.

About 30 minutes after the mother returned to their suburban Fort Worth home about 8:30 p.m., the toddler’s brother tried to wake his sister, according to police.

“He went in there and told (his parents) that she was sleeping and wouldn’t wake up,” Watauga police Sgt. Jason Babcock told the Star-Telegram.

Though the unaware mother told the boy to let her sleep, Sanders went in to check on Ellie and started yelling for his wife to call 911 because their daughter wasn’t breathing.

Emergency responders rushed the child to a local hospital, but she could not be saved and was pronounced dead at 10:10 p.m.

The child was found to have severe bruising all over her body, including her face, head and around her eyes, marks that are commonly referred to by doctors as "raccoon eyes" typically caused by asphyxiation.

Doctors also found blood behind her ear and two bite marks on her back that appeared to have been made by an adult, authorities said.

"She appeared fine and was up watching television in the bedroom laughing," Sanders told police, the arrest affidavit said.

"Police said Sanders is responsible for the child’s death, saying they believe he caused the bruises and bite marks and killed her when he held his hand over her face," Babcock told the paper.

"Anthony, by his own admission, was the only adult that was in the residence during the time the injuries were inflicted upon his daughter which caused her death," a detective wrote in the arrest affidavit.

“He’s very involved in computer gaming. … That’s something he did constantly,” Babcock told the Star-Telegram. “She may have interrupted him somehow. His day may have been interrupted.”

Tarrant County medical examiner’s office ruled this month that Ellie’s death was a homicide by asphyxiation. Her father was arrested the next day.

His bail was set at $1 million.

After Ellie’s death, Child Protective Services took custody of her brother, who is now 6. He has been placed in the care of a relative, a CPS spokeswoman told the paper.

Venezuela's socialist government ordered public workers on Tuesday to work a two-day week as an energy-saving measure in the crisis-hit South American OPEC country.

President Nicolas Maduro had already given most of Venezuela's 2.8 million state employees Fridays off during April and May to cut down on electricity consumption.

"From tomorrow, for at least two weeks, we are going to have Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays as non-working days for the public sector," Maduro said on his weekly television program.

Drought has reduced water levels at Venezuela's main dam and hydroelectric plant in Guri to near-critical levels. The dam provides for about two-thirds of the nation's energy needs.

Water shortages and electricity cuts have added to the hardships of Venezuela's 30 million people, already enduring a brutal recession, shortages of basics from milk to medicines, soaring prices, and long lines at shops.

Maduro, 53, who succeeded the late Hugo Chavez in 2013 and is facing an opposition push to remove him through a recall referendum, appealed for understanding and support.

"The Guri has virtually become a desert. With all these measures, we are going to save it," he said, adding that the daily drop in water level had slowed to 10 centimeters from 20.

OPPOSITION DERISION

After months of unscheduled outages, the government began programmed electricity rationing this week across most of Venezuela, except the capital Caracas, prompting sporadic protests in some cities.

Maduro has also changed the clocks so there is half an hour more daylight in the evening, urged women to reduce use of appliances like hairdryers, and ordered malls to provide their own generators.

Regarding the public sector measure, the government is excluding workers in sensitive sectors such as food.

Full salaries will still be paid despite the two-day week.

Critics have derided Maduro for giving state employees days off, arguing it would hurt national productivity and was unlikely to save electricity because people would simply go home and turn on appliances there instead.

"Maduro says that 'we in government don't stop working for a second'. Of course. Except for Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays!" satirized Leonardo Padron, a columnist for pro-opposition El Nacional newspaper, via Twitter.

Officials said the El Nino weather phenomenon is responsible for Venezuela's electricity woes. But critics accuse the government of inadequate investment, corruption, inefficiency and failure to diversify energy sources.

BackgroundThe Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) is collaborating with the other five African Institutions and seven European Institutions to implement a four year research based project titled ”Groundwater Futures in Sub-Saharan Africa” (GroFutures). The team is composed of internationally renowned experts on the science, management and governance of groundwater. The project is funded by the NERC-ESRC-DFID in the UK through the UPGro (Unlocking the Potential of Groundwater for the poor). The aim of the GroFutures project is to develop the scientific basis and participatory Management processes by which groundwater resources can be used sustainably for poverty alleviation in Sub-Saharan Africa. The project works closely with the key public and private sector stakeholders in Tanzania, both at the National and local levels.

The focuses of GroFutures project are on:

 Reducing uncertainty in the renewability and quantity of accessible groundwater to meet future demands for food, water and environmental services

 Quantification of future groundwater recharge and storage under projected changes in climate and land-use.MSc. Research support

Within this project, two exciting MSc. scholarships are available for Tanzania nationals at the Sokoine University of Agriculture. The project intends to engage MSc. students who have or are about to complete their coursework to undertake their research within the project’s social sciences research focus areas. Some highlights on the research topics and objectives are provided hereunder:

1st Topic: Economic viability of groundwater use for irrigation by small-scale farmers

Overall Objective: To evaluate the economic potential of utilizing groundwater for irrigation by smallholder farmers

Specific objectives include to:

i) establish financial capability of a community of smallholder farmers to own groundwater source(s) e.g. boreholes or dug wells including a pumping unit;

ii) evaluate the performance of groundwater use for irrigation by smallholder farmers;

iii) analyse the costs and benefits from the use of groundwater for irrigation

2nd Topic: Institutional groundwater governance in Tanzania

Overall Objective: To build up a suitable institutional structure of groundwater governance in Tanzania

Specific objectives include to:

i) identify the trend of groundwater governance institutions and structures

ii) typology of groundwater users for both domestic and agriculture

iii) conduct a comparative analysis of between groundwater and surface water use for irrigation by

smallholder farmers

Required competencies (Combined)

 Good BSc. Degree (GPA > 3.5) in natural science or related fields, preferably with a background in Institutional analysis and economics

 High social competences in interacting with stakeholders at different levels

 Great interest in working with an interdisciplinary and international team

 Willingness to work in the field for extended periods.

What the research project offers

 Work in a strong international team

 Training in inter- and trans-disciplinary research

 Field expenses and travel allowances

 Supervision by experts from SUA and from collaborating institutions.

Application

Please send a CV, academic transcript, two academic referees’ letters, and a brief outline of research interest to the Project Leader (Tanzania) Prof. J.J. Kashaigili ([email protected], [email protected]) and Ms. Devotha Mosha ([email protected]). Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until 10th May 2016. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted immediately after the deadline to set up the interviews. Female candidates are encouraged to apply.

If you have difficulty accessing the RFP or requesting forms, please contact [email protected].

amfAR grants are made to nonprofit organizations worldwide. Applicant fellows and mentors need not be U.S. citizens, and there are no restrictions as to age, color, creed, gender, medical condition, handicap, national origin, parental status, political affiliation, race, religion, marital status, or sexual orientation.

National Housing Corporation (NHC) Tanzania Presentation in NYC

Have you thought about purchasing a home in Tanzania while living in the diaspora, but don't know how to get started? Did you miss the 2016 DICOTA Convention, but still want to learn first hand how NHC's programs work? Well, you don't have to wonder any more.

Ms. Sophia Said Mwema, Senior Sales Manger, National Housing Corporation - Tanzania will be in New York City on May 2nd, to share information on NHC's various housing projects, with Tanzanians living in the metro NY, NJ, CT and PA area. The discussion will focus on NHC's current housing projects and provide details on how the home buying process works.

This is an event not to be missed. This even is free, so register now!